A youth football association in Scotland has issued a stark warning about behaviour at grassroots matches after an extraordinary opening week of the new season reportedly saw 72 red cards, alleged violence, threatening behaviour, discriminatory language and matches abandoned.

The Central Scotland Football Association (CSFA), which provides youth football from Fun4s and Super5s through to 11-a-side football at U19 level, said conduct had reached an “all-time low.”
The warning was contained in an email sent to team managers and seen by the BBC, with the association reporting a long list of disciplinary incidents which it said had no place in grassroots football.

Perhaps the most disturbing allegation came from a football festival involving children aged just five and six.
According to the association, a team official is alleged to have headbutted another team official in front of young children and adults.

In a separate incident, a parent is alleged to have aggressively approached a league official after being asked to move away from an area beside the pitch reserved for players and team staff.
Reports from the opening week also included young players allegedly being threatened, possible discriminatory or hate-related language and matches being abandoned.

And then there is the staggering disciplinary figure.
72 red cards in a single week.
For a game which should be providing children with friendship, exercise, confidence and memories, the incidents raise uncomfortable questions about the behaviour young players are witnessing around them.

Grassroots football will always be competitive. Players desperately want to win, coaches care about their teams and parents naturally want the best for their children.
But there has to be a line.

When adults lose control at children’s football, it is the children standing metres away who see it.
They hear the shouting. They witness the confrontation. And ultimately, they learn from the behaviour of the adults around them.

The Central Scotland Football Association operates within the Scottish Youth Football Association’s Central Region and describes itself as a children’s and youth football league covering formats from the youngest small-sided games through to U19 football.

Its warning comes just days into the 2026/27 campaign.

Grassroots football simply cannot function without coaches, league officials, referees, parents and volunteers giving up huge amounts of their own time.

Those people should be able to attend children’s football without facing threats, intimidation or violence.

And children should certainly be able to play football without witnessing it.

Seventy-two red cards in one week should make everyone involved in the game stop and think.
Because whatever the score, whatever the decision and however important we convince ourselves a youth football match might be…
it’s still children’s football.

And the adults have to be better.